One of my favorite restaurants in Seattle for great food and wine. Located on the bottom of Capitol Hill, Tango Restaurant serves Latin food ranging from paella to ceviche. A good selection of Tempranillo’s from Spain and Malbec’s from Argentina. A couple years ago I had the Finca Valpiedra Reserva and was hooked ever since. The Finca Valpiedra is located in the Rioja Alta of Spain and is a blend of 95% Tempranillo and 5% Cab. Unfortunately, they don’t carry it anymore….but nevertheless found another great wine…I ordered the Finca Allende Rioja 2004($46). A Tempranillo from Rioja, a great nose of berries, and tasted fruity with ripe tannins – One of my favs! The tapas here are amazing….One of my FAVorite tapa dishes that I always order is the Croquetas de Papas($9). No words can really describe this….beyond amazing. Croquetas is Spanish for croquette, the outer coating ball is fried golden brown from the bread crumbs and filled with mashed potato. Their Croquetas de Papas are always perfectly crisp on the outside and fluffy potato infused with horseradish inside, then topped with Cotija cheese. Be sure to scoop the sauce and layer it on top! The red sauce is the smoked tomato jam and compliments the croquette quite well.

Finca Allende Rioja 2004 - Tango Restaurant

Croquetas de Papas - Tango restaurant

My other favorite tapas are the Carnitas del Puerco($10.50) which is cinammon and chili pork, salsa verde, and tortillas. I love the carnes and seafood entrees..oh and definitely the salad..love all kinds of salad, but I decided to focus on my all time FAVorite dish for that night…the Paella($48). I ordered the Con Carnes Paella and it is an immensely big tasty dish….beef tenderloin, shredded pork, veal shank, linquica (Portugese pork sausage), red peppers, and onion. The beef tenderloin was medium cut, very tender and juicy…shredded pork….very tender and juicy…and lastly the veal shank…seared brown on the outside, juicy and tender inside. Dont worry if you see just meat on top….hidden under is the Arborio rice that was slow cooked and seasoned from the juices of the meat and Rioja reduction sauce. Be sure to order the Con Carnes Paella when you first order your appetizer because prep is about 40 minutes. I tend to make reservations at www.opentable.com – Tango Restaurant is listed in Seattle and you get free points. Overall, I highly recommend Tango Restaurant for their diverse latin food, great wine, and THE best paella and Spanish croquettes in Seattle.